When using a hand shear for cutting light gauge sheet metal, the workman is often in danger of injury, particularly to his hands, with respect to any narrow strip severed on either side of the shears which travels along the shear element in proximity or contact with the operator's hand.
Heretofore, guards have been provided for safety reasons for cutting sheet metal with hand shears but they have shortcomings which discourage their use where dangers to workmen are involved, or they interfer with making accurate straight or curved cuts, particularly irregular cuts or cuts near the right or left hand edges, and where ribbon cuts are made to improve curved edges because of curling and twisting pressures.
It has been found that little if any danger occurs in cutting a sheet in half since there is no curl which otherwise occurs as with a narrow strip where the narrow trim tends to curl with sharp edges engaging the workman's fingers, the metal curling upwardly or downwardly across a workman's shear operating hand depending upon the direction in which the cut is made or curved. Inverting conventional shears may help by them being able to receive the guard quickly and easily on either shear member or both. This dual use is preferred because the handles of many pairs of shears are different for manipulating the respective shear blades for different purposes, and there are right and left hand overlapping shears for some special applications. Moreover, it is highly desirable to safeguard conventional shears when needed rather than multiply the number of special shears which only perform limited or special functions.